Taste the summer with So Baked

If you are one of the "mango people" (pun intended) and do not mind eating, drinking or bathing in mango 24/7, this article is for you.

Even without exaggerating, us Bangalis are crazy about mangoes and it is so sad that this heavenly fruit is harvested only for a few months each year. But why eat mangoes in old ways if we have mouth watering baked alternatives?

Taking advantage of mango season, "So Baked" - an online page of baked goods - has introduced different mango-based items to their menu.

So Baked is run by two sisters, Zoya Ahmed and Amena Ahmed. The sister-duo started their baking business at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as they had plenty of free time. But now they are operating the business in full swing due to the positive responses from their customers.

Zoya Ahmed also owns a clothing line named "Aazeen By Zoya" and works at WebAble Digital as a Client Service Executive. Her sister Amena works at Blackboard Strategies, a PR agency.

"When my friends used to play with Barbies, we used to play office and take each other's interviews. This is why we have always been very active and handled many things at once.

So, running two businesses alongside having a job is not a very difficult task for us. Our job is what we are qualified to do and our business is our passion," said Zoya.

So Baked started in 2020 but has already garnered a large number of followers online. According to the Ahmed sisters, 75% of the orders they receive are recurring. 

This online bakery has different kinds of pound cake, brownies, loaf cakes, cupcakes, tarts, pies and éclairs. One of their most popular items is assorted oats and chia pudding jars, which come with specific calories and it is a hit among the people who do keto and are on a diet. These jars cost between Tk350 to Tk500.

The pound and loaf cakes cost between Tk750 to Tk1000. The cupcakes and tarts cost between Tk150 to Tk180 while the 10-inch pie costs between Tk1,750 to Tk2,000. The assorted boxes are priced between Tk1,250 to Tk1,450.

This summer, So Baked has taken full advantage of the mango season and did not waste any time introducing some new items made with fresh mangoes.

Mango Custard Tarts, Mango Éclairs, Mango Loaf Cake with Rabri and Mango Pie are So Baked's summer special items and they definitely grabbed the attention of mango lovers with these special treats. 

According to the Ahmed sisters, Mango Loaf Cake with Rabri and Mango Pie are their best selling items, and these are still in very high demand.

So if you are thinking of ordering from So Baked before mango season runs out, here is a detailed review of some of their mango-based treats.

Mango Éclairs 

The oblong pastry is made with choux dough and it is filled with cream, topped with caramel, vanilla cream and freshly chopped mangos. 

There was more cream on the top than on the inside of the éclair, which tasted a bit like paper - no taste and texture. The minuscule amount of cream inside the éclair made it boring as well. 

The only saving grace was the big chunks of mango which were so fresh and flavorful that the absences of cream, texture and sweetness were compensated for. 

However, this also made me realise that if the mangoes were not fresh, the éclairs would not have tasted as good afterall. Hence, the Mango Éclairs is not an item to save and eat later.

Mango Custard Tarts

These tarts had the perfect crumbly texture of a rich egg custard with mango flavor, topped with lots of diced mango. 

Although the crust was a bit too thick, it did not take away anything from the taste. The custard was not at all too sweet, which did not overpower the sweet mango taste and together the crust-custard duo wonderfully balanced out the taste.

Mango Pie 

If you have not seen people getting intoxicated on pie, you should definitely bring home So Baked's Mango Pie and leave some people with it. 

This pie is almost like a bigger version of the tart but the crust of the pie was so thick and soggy that it was impossible to cut out slices. And although the white whipped cream topping was ruined quite a bit while delivering, none of the mishaps could take the taste away. 

Even if I could not cut the crust, I started digging in with a spoon. The white whipped cream topping with chunks of mango on it felt like a mango-flavored cloud in my mouth. 

The filling of mango and egg custard was sticky in texture but it was a spoon full of sweet heaven. 

This mango pie is a must-try for mango lovers and if you have a sweet tooth, and you have not tried it yet, you are missing out on a lot.